The Thing Is, I Love You
by GageWhitney
Summary: "Mike said something to me the other day."


Title: The Thing Is, I Love You

Author: GageWhitney

Rating: T

Pairing: Harvey/Donna

Disclaimer: Very much not mine.

Summary: "Mike said something to me the other day."

Note: My first fic for this pairing! I hope they're not OOC.

* * *

It's late when there's a series of knocks at her door – probably too late for anyone who could be considered polite company and definitely too late for someone who knew what time she had to get up for work in the morning.

She knows who it is. There's only one person it can be, really, but Donna still looks through the peephole to find her boss standing on the other side of the door, running a hand through his usually impeccable hair. His suit jacket and tie are gone, the top few buttons on his shirt undone.

With a sigh, she opens the door and leans against it. "Harvey."

"Donna." He looks her up and down and gives her an amused little smile. "Nice outfit."

She looks down at herself and feels her cheeks get a bit warm as she remembers she's already wearing her pajamas – a pair of comfy cotton shorts and a tank top that she suddenly wishes wasn't so thin.

"We're having quite the heat wave," she says with a shrug. "I'm thinking of wearing this to work tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," he leers, smirk firmly in place. He reaches out and fingers the hem on her shorts. "Maybe find a pattern more appropriate than cows, though. We're a top law firm, after all."

"Harvey," she says flatly, her pink cheeks betraying her disinterested tone.

He lets go of her shorts. "Can I come in?"

She moves aside and gestures for him to enter the apartment. "Of course," she says, and shuts the door behind him. "Can I get you a drink?"

He's familiar with her place, already moving toward the bar cart she's got set up in her living room. "I'll get it. You want something?"

"I'll have what you're having," she says, and he nods. She takes a seat on the couch and watches him warily. "What's going on, Harvey? It's late."

He pours out two glasses of scotch and hands her one before moving to take a seat next to her. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

She quirks an eyebrow and takes a sip. "Something that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

He levels his gaze at her. "It's not about work," he says.

"Oh." She blinks and sits up straighter. The bare skin of her knee brushes against his pant leg. "Okay. What's up?"

He sips at his drink. "Mike said something to me the other day."

Donna freezes slightly, remembering her own recent conversation with Mike. "Oh yeah? About what?"

"I assume you're privy to the whole… Rachel… thing," he says, the tone of his voice sounding like an eye roll.

"Of course. Donna knows all," she says with a smile.

Harvey grins into his scotch. "He was sulking about it, and I told him he has plenty of time to find the right girl."

She nods. "He's young. Of course he does."

"And he said I'd probably told myself the same thing at 25, and 30, and 35. That I'd be telling myself that at 50." He finishes his drink and sets the glass aside. "And you know what I realized?"

"What?"

"He's right." He chuckles and shakes his head. "That goddamn kid."

Donna watches him for a moment, trying to read his face. "Okay. So… what?" She pauses before adding, "You want me to help you find a girlfriend or something, Harvey?"

"No." He takes her empty glass from her hands and sets it on the coffee table next to his.

"Okay."

"The thing is, I think I found the right girl already, and it's just never felt like the right time." He shrugs. "But honestly, what am I waiting for anymore?"

She feels her breath catch in her throat. "I don't know if I follow."

He takes hold of her jaw, then, pressing his thumb to her chin, and leans in to softly press his lips to hers. Before she can respond, he pulls back, dropping his hand to cover one of hers.

"It was always going to be you, Donna." He brings her hand up to mouth and kisses her knuckles.

She lets out a breathy laugh. "Harvey, what about what we talked about –"

"I remember what we talked about," he says, cutting her off. "And… that was a long time ago. A few things have changed since then."

"Have they?" she asks, and she kind of hates herself for questioning his advances.

"Donna, I'm not some young, stupid kid anymore. I'm a senior partner. I sit at the grown-up table, which means that who I choose to date is no one's business but my own." He frowns and searches her face. "I mean, do you still… you know?"

"Of course I do." She shrugs. There's tears in her eyes when she tells him, "What can I say? It's always been you."

Harvey kisses her again, and this time she winds her arms around his neck, kissing him back. His hands settle on her hips before moving upward, skimming up her sides until they're splayed against her ribcage, thumbs swiping across her breasts.

She arches into him, seeking more contact, and urges him on top of her with her fingers tugging at his collar. One of his hands kneads at her breast while the other pushes her legs apart so he can settle between them. She hooks a leg around his waist, and he runs his hand up and down her thigh.

She breaks away from his mouth and leans her forehead against his chin. "Why now?" she asks, breathless. "Why tonight?"

He kisses her hair and grins down at her. He shrugs. "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

She laughs, clutching his shoulders. "That is just like you, Harry."

"Harvey," he corrects. He kisses her jaw and down her neck while his fingers slip under her tank top.

"Oh, shut up," she says, yanking his mouth up to hers again.

He grins against her lips. "Whatever you say, Sally."


End file.
